


Personal Space

by haleynovak



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-08 17:23:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1949730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haleynovak/pseuds/haleynovak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The return of a certain archangel (and maybe his brother) may lead to some complicated situations in the romance department. Destiel and Sabriel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! :D Just so you know, I'm basically transferring my fics over from my fanfiction.net account, so all of the chapters for this are coming in at the same time.

“Dean! Why is there garbage all over my bed?”

The Winchester boys had been staying in the motel room for two days while working on a case, and Sam had gotten back from the morgue only to find his bed covered in candy wrappers. Sam reached across the bed and started to pick up the trash. Dean stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

“What? Ugh. Looks like _someone_ needs to cut down…”

“Shut up. I know that you’re the one that dumped all of this on my bed. You were the only one here!”

“Well it wasn’t me!”

The sound of wings flapping was drowned out by Sam and Dean’s shouting, so the deep “Ahem” from right behind Dean’s left shoulder nearly gave him a heart attack. After regaining his grip on the towel that was barely big enough to wrap around him, Dean spun around to yell at Castiel.

“Cas, for the last time! Get. Out. Of. My. Ass!”

It was only after he realized just how close he was to Castiel that Dean started to blush. He backed up and adjusted the towel to ensure maximum coverage.

“Dean. We need to talk about the case.”

“Um, Castiel? I’m here too, just so you know…”

“Oh. My apologies, Sam.”

Sam just turned and tried to cover the chuckle by clearing his throat. “It’s fine, Cas. I know that you and Dean share a ‘more profound bond’ or whatever.”

Dean used this distraction to throw on some clothes in the bathroom. Before going back into the room, he splashed some water on his face to clear his mind. _It’s just Cas. Why are you even reacting like this? Seriously, Dean, it’s just Cas._ Dean headed back into the other room to rejoin Castiel and Sam, and kept repeating his new mantra: _It’s just Cas. It’s just Cas. It’s just…_

But then Dean saw him again and his legs turned to jello. _Why is this happening? Cas is your best friend. That’s all he is. So stop it!_

“Hey guys. So Cas, what did you want to talk about?” Dean hoped that it sounded pretty nonchalant, but he couldn’t be sure.

“The case. I went to the crime scene to look for hints about what we’re dealing with.”

“Did you find anything?”

“If you count a dog leash and wrappers as something, then yes. But that and the cause of death are all we have.”

“I went to the morgue to look at the body,” said Sam, “and it was pretty weird. It was like Garfield went rogue.”

“Excuse me, what?”

“The guy was _covered_ in cat scratches. Like, _covered_. And his throat was stuffed with¬–”

“–lasagna?” Dean interrupted.

“Yep. And he was walking his dog. Who was named Odie.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t understand that reference…”

Dean and Sam started laughing at one of Castiel’s famous one-liners.

“So Garfield went a little nuts on the catnip. Is Marmaduke next to go crazy?”

Sam guffawed at that. “Maybe. But get this: the victim was an animal hoarder. He had twenty-six cats and fourteen dogs living in his house. They were never allowed to leave their cages that were lined with newspaper, which he only changed once every three weeks.”

“That’s just gross.”

During the time they had been talking about the victim, Dean had sat down at the table across from Castiel. He tried not to look up at the angel, but occasionally snuck a peek. _It’s just Cas. It’s just Cas. It’s just Cas._ Dean’s heart started beating faster and faster. _What is happening to me? It’s. Just. Cas._ Castiel looked over at Dean, and they made eye contact. Dean’s green eyes locked onto Castiel’s bright blue ones, and neither could look away.

Sam cleared his throat from the background a few times, but nothing could break the stare. Sam finally stood up and said something about taking a shower. Dean and Castiel looked away from each other at last, and Cas muttered a quick “Goodbye” before leaving.

Dean just sat there. _Oh my God. What was that? Dean, you idiot! Now Cas probably thinks you have a crush on him or something… It’s just Cas. It’s just Cas. It’s just Cas!_ He spun around and knocked over the vase that had been sitting on the table.

“Damn!”

Dean was cleaning up the broken glass when he came across another candy wrapper lying on the floor. _Wait a minute…_ Dean suddenly knew exactly who ganked Mr. Doggy Day Care.

“Hello, Gabriel.”


	2. Chapter 2

Gabriel walked out of the shadows, clapping his hands slowly.

“Okay, okay. You caught me.”

Even though he knew it was Gabriel, Dean was still shocked to see the archangel alive. “We thought you were dead. Again!”

“I’ve gotten pretty good at faking my own death, don’t you think?” Gabriel said with a smirk. “I used a Pepsi Max can for that blade. Lucy never saw it coming. I knew that he could guess that trick, so I played it safe. I’ll tell you though, the wings were hard to do.”

“Does anyone else know you’re alive?”

“Nope. Just you, Deanie Weenie!”

“I think I know a couple of guys who’d like to know.”

“I got it.” With a snap of his fingers, Gabriel zapped Castiel and Sam into the room. Of course, Sam was naked because he had been in the shower. “Lookin’ good, Kiddo,” Gabriel said with a wink. Sam blushed and covered himself as best as he could until he found something to throw on.

“Gabriel?” Castiel looked very surprised when he saw the presumably dead archangel.

“Yep. It’s me, little bro. And hey again, Samsterooni!”

Sam just sat in the corner blushing. He wished that he had waited to get in the shower until _after_ he knew that Gabriel was alive. _Why do you care? All Gabe ever does is flirt with anything that moves. But still…_

“So why are you back?”

“I was never actually gone. Just hiding again. But a guy _has_ to deal with inconsiderate assholes, right?”

“But Garfield? Really?”

“Um, you _do_ remember that I’m Gabriel, a.k.a. Loki, a.k.a. the _Trickster_ , right?”

“So you think that means that you can just go all Sunday Funnies on his ass?”

“I forgot how much I like you boys! You always make the best jokes.” Gabriel said with a smile.

Castiel, of course, was the one to redirect the conversation. “Weren’t we talking about the case?”

“Well, since you’ve already caught the villain, we can just chill.” Gabriel poofed a popsicle into his hand to highlight the word ‘chill’.

Sam tried to agree, but all that came out was an ‘Mmhmm’.

“I never thought I’d say this, but Gabe is right, Cas. With the job done, we can relax here for a little while.” Dean could easily agree to anything that would give him ten minutes to rest. He was already tired from working the case, so a short nap before bedtime would be nice.

The four guys went out for burgers – or a salad in Sam’s case – and pie, then came back to the motel to sleep for a few hours. Sam and Dean each crawled into a bed, and Gabriel and Castiel sat at the table to play Sorry.

 

*****

 

“Hey there, Sammy!”

Sam cringed at the all-too-familiar voice rattling his brain. _No. No, no, no, no, no!_

“You do know that I’m in your head, Sammy boy?”

“Get out, Lucifer. I’m a little busy trying to sleep.”

“Eh, I think I’ll stay. You know, I never did finish that book I was reading. You know, _101 Ways to Torture and Seduce Unstable Moose Men_. I was in the middle of it when you were crazy and locked up in a psych ward.”

Sam just rolled his eyes and scoffed at how immature the devil was acting.

“You know who could use a look at the seducing part of that book? Gabriel.”

Sam’s head shot up. “Gabriel?” Damn, his voice cracked. _What the hell? Gabriel? Really, Sam?_ “Why could he use it?”

“Well, obviously he _likes_ you! I mean, did you see the way he looked at you earlier? It was like you were a chocolate bar or something.” Lucifer winked at Sam. “And I can see everything that’s going on in here, Sam. I know that you feel at least a little something for him.”

Sam didn’t know if it was possible to blush while sleeping or not, but if it was, he would be.

“T-that’s not t-true, Lucifer. I have no idea what you’re t-talking about.” Sam couldn’t stop stuttering, and he didn’t entirely know why. It wasn’t like he _liked_ Gabriel or anything. Right? Sam didn’t really know anymore.

“Oh, I think it is Sammy. I hope that it works out between you two. Tata!”

“No, I don’t want to wake up just yet, talk to me!”

“Too little, too late, Sammy.”

The next thing he knew, Sam was sitting straight up in bed, staring at a surprised Gabriel. Sam looked away from Gabriel, not able to face him in case he blushed or stared. _What am I going to do?_


	3. Chapter 3

Dean tossed and turned all night thinking about Castiel. He would never admit it, but every time he closed his eyes, all Dean could see was an ocean of blue staring back at him. When Sam woke up from what must have been a nightmare, Dean got out of bed, resigned from trying to sleep. Of course, it didn’t help that the fist thing he saw after getting up was Castiel.

“Good morning, Dean.” Castiel didn’t even apologize for not addressing Sam. Dean lost control of his brain for a split second, and then managed to stumble over the words.

“Morning Cas.”

Castiel couldn’t help but stare at Dean. He looked so cute with his hair tousled from sleep. When he realized that Dean looked uncomfortable under his gaze, he averted his eyes to Sam and Gabriel, but his mind was still on Dean.

_Today is the day I tell Dean._ That was what he said to himself every morning. _Today. It definitely will be today._ But it never was that day that he told Dean. In fact, Castiel didn’t know if he would ever be able to tell Dean.

Castiel had fallen for Dean in every way imaginable. Not only had Cas risked everything for Dean, but he was also head over heels in love with him. When Castiel grabbed Dean’s soul in Hell, he felt all of Dean’s memories and emotions as if they were his own. Cas hadn’t known it then, but he was already falling in love. And every day, Cas told himself, _Today is the day I tell Dean_ , but he just couldn’t. If Dean reacted the way Cas thought he might, then any hope of a relationship – not to mention their friendship – would be destroyed.

So was it worth it to tell Dean and put everything at risk, or was it better to play it safe and wait however long it takes?

Sometimes Castiel got his hopes up when Dean looked back at him, locking their eyes. But Dean would almost always be the one to pull his gaze away first. Cas knew that they would never be together if he didn’t man up, but he feared rejection.

Cas looked back over at Dean, who was deep in conversation with Gabriel about why killing assholes isn’t considered okay. He stared for a while, just admiring both his appearance as well as his soul. Castiel daydreamed about a world where today _would_ be the day that he told Dean. But of course, he would never build up the courage.

 

*****

 

“Cas? Castiel? Cas!”

Finally hearing his name, Castiel woke up from his daydream. He realized that he had been staring at Dean for well over an hour, and that now everyone was staring at him.

“Umm… Cas, why were you staring at me?”

Feeling his cheeks go bright red, Castiel panicked and did the only thing that he could physically do: get the hell out of dodge.

When he looked up again, Cas was back in Heaven. He looked up at the sky of the eternal Tuesday afternoon. Castiel sat down and laid his head in his hands.

_Nope. Not how it’s supposed to go._ Sure, Dean had caught Cas looking at him a lot, but never for that long, and he had never asked why. _You can’t stay up here forever, Cas. You have to face him eventually._ Cas stood up and looked at the autistic man flying a kite. _See you later._

Castiel arrived back at the motel room, where he saw Sam, Gabriel, and Dean sitting at the table. Sam looked up and smiled at the sight of Cas. Gabriel was the next to look over, and he had a sneaky smirk on his face. Dean hadn’t noticed Castiel’s presence yet. Sam gently nudged Dean with his elbow, and Dean looked up to see Cas.

“Excuse me Sam and Gabriel, may I talk to Dean alone please?”

Castiel didn’t like the look that was exchanged between his older brother and Dean’s younger brother. They both quickly said yes and scrambled out of the motel room. Dean gestured for Castiel to sit down across from him.

“What is it Cas?” Dean’s green eyes were looking up into Castiel’s. Cas sat down, not breaking eye contact.

“Today is the day I tell you.”


	4. Chapter 4

When Gabriel had realized that Castiel was finally going to man up and tell Dean, he grabbed Sam and ran. They had stepped out the door and onto a beach, bathing suits and all. Sam looked so confused by the change of scenery, and Gabriel found it adorable.

So maybe Gabriel had a _minor_ crush on Sammy, but he was almost positive it was unrequited. So he just shamelessly flirted with Sam for fun.

“Mmm, mmm, mmm! Sammy, you should wear that kind of suit more often.” And of course, the wink to go along with the compliment.

Sam shot him a slightly annoyed look. “Gabe, where are we?”

“Umm, somewhere better than where we were. I think we’re somewhere in the Caribbean.”

“You _think_? Can you get us back once Cas and Dean are done?”

“Uh, _duh_. I’m an _archangel_. We’ll give them some time to talk about their feelings, and then zap on back. Until then, we can do whatever. I don’t know about you, but I could use a dunk.”

Gabriel ran down to the water. In slow motion, dressed like a lifeguard, and holding a life preserver. He jumped into the clear blue water and waved at Sam to join him. At first Sam was hesitant, but then he decided that he might as well swim while in the… umm… Caribbean?

Gabriel watched Sam jog down to the water and practically dive in. “Watch your head, Gigantor!”

“Don’t be such a baby, Gabey!”

It was nice to just hang out with Sam alone. When Cas and Dean were there, it felt like they were partially excluded. Gabriel looked up at Sam’s floppy hair, soaking wet.

“Do you think my hair looks better like this-“ Sam struck a pose, “-or like this?” Sam flipped his head in attempted slow motion, and ended up whacking himself in the eye. “Ouch.”

“Hmm… I think I like it better like this.” Gabriel reached up and messed up Sam’s hair. “There! Now it looks natural _and_ cute!”

“Cute?” Gabriel saw Sam’s eyebrow raise.

“Well, you know, it’s pretty adorable.” Gabriel could have sworn he saw a gleam of a smile in Sam’s eyes, which made his heart beat just a tiny bit faster.

“I like hanging out with you, Gabe.”

The shock on Gabriel’s face was mostly genuine even though he had intended to exaggerate it. “You do?”

“Of course I do. You’re my friend… I think.” Gabriel smirked.

“Don’t sound so unsure. You’re my friend, even though you _did_ try to kill be like a bajillion times.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. But that whole _Nutcracker_ thing was not okay.”

“Oh, come on! It wasn’t that bad!”

Sam rolled his eyes and splashed Gabriel in the face. All of a sudden, a huge wave crashed over Sam.

“Don’t mess with the Trickster.”


	5. Chapter 5

Dean was confused by Castiel’s statement. “Tell me what? Is something wrong, Cas?”

Castiel looked down at his hands on the table. “No, there is nothing wrong. I just have been meaning to say something for a long time.”

“Okay. Shoot.”

Castiel took a deep breath and looked back up into Dean’s eyes. “From the moment I gripped you tight in Hell, I felt it. As time passed and you and I got closer, I began to realize what it was. And now, I need to tell you.” His eyes were shining with an unknown emotion. Dean stared into the deep blue as he waited for Cas to continue. “Dean Winchester, I am in love with you.”

Dean froze. _Wait… Did Cas just say he loved me? Dean, say something!_ But Dean couldn’t speak. All he could do was look as hurt spread across Castiel’s face.

“I understand if you do not feel the same way. If you would like, I can just leave.” With that, Castiel stood and pushed in his chair. Turning, he whispered, “Goodbye, Dean.”

The next thing Dean knew, he was standing, then grabbing Castiel’s wrist and spinning him to face him. Before he could stop himself, Dean pressed his lips to Castiel’s.

The kiss expressed every emotion that Dean couldn’t. Castiel wrapped his arms around Dean’s neck, and Dean’s hands fell to his hips. The two kissed for what seemed like forever. When they separated, Dean pulled him into a hug and spoke so quietly that only Cas could hear. “I love you too, Cas.”

Cas’s grip tightened, and Dean couldn’t keep the giddy grin off of his face. He couldn’t remember ever being this happy. When Cas pulled away, Dean craved the warmth. But Castiel leant back in to kiss him again, so it didn’t last long.

It was at that moment that Gabriel and Sam decided to pop back in. “Oh, good. I was _so_ tired of all of that tension.” Gabe smirked.

Dean quickly pulled away and blushed, but grabbed Cas’s hand in his and entwined their fingers. Castiel squeezed his hand in return.

It was then that Dean noticed the pair’s slightly swollen lips and Sam’s slightly red cheeks. He raised an eyebrow. “Sammy, you got your own angel?” Sam’s blush deepened. “But Gabriel, if you hurt him, I will personally kill you.”

“Same goes for my Cassie.”

That night, the four went to dinner to celebrate. Dean smiled. For one night, everyone was safe and happy.


End file.
